To really enjoy the American Girl experience, it helps to be familiar with the stories behind the dolls. Books and movies that tell these tales are for sale in the store, as is a series of self-help books for girls. This is serious fun.

To really enjoy the Dreamhouse, it helps to be familiar with the TV show Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, a comedy that pokes fun at Barbie’s ridiculously fabulous life. That’s why there’s a dolphin in the toilet. This is light-hearted fun.

You could spend hours just ogling the dolls on display decked out in historically accurate, tasteful hats and dresses.

You could spend hours just ogling the dolls on display decked out in stunning gowns and heels from various eras.

The American Girl store hosts a kid-friendly fashion show every March.

On Barbie’s top floor you can put on a boa and walk the runway every day.

American Girls are too young to work, but they face tough real-life issues such as slavery, war, and bullying. The rest is about hair, fashion, and ear-piercing.

Barbie has had roughly 150 careers, including astronaut, doctor, and teacher. But this exhibit is not about work. It’s about hair, fashion, and pop stardom.

It’s fun to dine with your doll at the american girl bistro, but parents be warned: the strongest thing on the menu is milk.

Any cooking in Barbie’s Dreamhouse is purely digital. Is that how she maintains her tiny waist?